Stevens Point man plans to launch bilingual children’s books
Local independent writer and marketer, and now children’s book author, Joseph Luther, of Stevens Point, is using Kickstarter to help launch a collection of bilingual children’s books.
The longtime writer and marketer, who spent seven years with AIG and the last five as a freelancer, came out of the pandemic changed after two years spent reevaluating his work life and career path.
“For me, like for a lot of others, the last couple of years has meant looking at things in a different way, taking chances I might not have taken before,” he said. “And that’s how I got here, reimagining myself as a children’s author. In a way, this project is as much about discovering myself as it is about discovering children’s literature.”
Luther describes “Just a Minute More” as a sweet, simple book for very young readers and the ones who love them. The story follows the lives of a diverse mix of families through some of life’s most precious milestones and celebrates all the little moments that families wish could last “just a minute more.”
Luther is working with Orange Hat Publishing, a Wisconsin independent publisher, to create the book while using Kickstarter to raise funds to cover out-of-pocket expenses for the book’s printing and distribution. Kickstarter is a leading global crowd-funding platform that connects entrepreneurs with people interested in backing start-up projects through individual contributions. “When you contribute to my Kickstarter campaign, you’ll be helping to pay for the production and marketing and distribution costs that are so critical to making any book a success,” said Luther.
Luther is making an English and bilingual version of the book available on its first printing, rather than waiting to assess the book’s popularity before pursuing a translation. There will be Spanish and English text on every page. It’s a great way to reach more readers and to make it available to all sorts of early literacy programs for children whose first language is Spanish, he said.
The U.S. Census Office estimates there will be 138 million Spanish speakers by 2050 which will make the U.S. home to the largest Spanish-speaking population in the world. Today, almost 60 million Latinos make up more than 18% of the U.S. population, and according to the National Center for Education Statistics, one in four school-age children is Hispanic.
Luther says the demand for books that appeal to both Spanish and English speakers is growing and will only become more pronounced in the decades to come. Bilingual books fulfill a need for Spanish-speaking children and parents striving for English language proficiency. They also fulfill a desire for English-speaking children and parents seeking the opportunity to expose their families to a second language at an early age.
“After the initial English/Spanish edition, the goal is to follow with another edition featuring a new bilingual pairing, likely English/Hmong,” said Luther. “Ultimately, I’d like to see the book appear in a half dozen language pairings or more. I’m so proud to have brought “Just a Minute More” this far and I’d really appreciate your support to bring it across the finish line.”